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Original air date:
10.3.07
Children with Asperger’s Syndrome Test Facial-Recognition Software
In our everyday communication, we are constantly monitoring other people's facial and body cues to discern whether we are enrapturing them, boring them, or confusing them—such that we can maintain or change our social tactics accordingly. But people are born with different degrees of this ability, and some need a little help. People with autism spectrum disorders like Asperger's—a social disorder that some scientists believe has afflicted the world's greatest geniuses, including Einstein—often have trouble deciphering what other people are thinking or feeling. As a result, they frequently make poor social judgments.
But with the help of a new tool developed by the MIT Media Lab, this problem may someday be a thing of the past. Researchers have developed "mind-reading" software consisting of a tiny camera that clips onto a person's clothing and analyzes the facial expressions of others, reporting the results back to the wearer via a tiny earpiece. While the device isn't foolproof—like the best of us, it sometimes misjudges expressions—researchers hope that with further tweaking, it might one day serve as a learning device or prosthesis for people with social disorders.
Join host Ziya Tong as she visits the Groden Learning Center in Rhode Island, where the device is being tested and fine-tuned on a group of Asperger's students. Learn, too, why Asperger's is sometimes called "The Geek Syndrome"—if you're a geek, and we know you are, you might have come across a number of people with the disorder without even realizing it.
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10.3.07 11:43 PM PDT
Bob
Intriguing and informing show & site. A click link to transcripts would be helpful to folks who download and read later. Thx
10.4.07 1:44 PM PDT
glp
Saw the show last evening and enjoyed it very much. As I was watching the students interact with the software in the "Face Reader" segment, I could see how deeply it affected them. I was struck by the following thought that I can't seem to shake (and thus sharing here): that perhaps human evolution is playing a part here. I know this is totally illogical (on every possible front), but perhaps humans are evolving to need a symbiotic relationship with technology and that the recent increase of children with autism is simply evolutionary. Instead of considering autistics as "handicapped", consider that they are the future of the human race, and we (non-autistics) are simply trying to catch up with tecnology allowing autistics to shine and allow the evolution to continue.
10.5.07 10:09 AM PDT
Tor
I really enjoyed the segment on face reading. While I can see the value for the autism patients, the possibilities for other uses are endless. From everything from to communicating with babies, diagnosing problems for people who cannot talk, to playing poker. I found the program to be very provocative and enjoyed it very much.
10.7.07 5:35 PM PDT
maccelerate@earthlink.net
The report was very well done, but the audio switching from low-fi to hi-fi, both attached to the same video interview at different times was REALLY annoying. I couldn't concentrate on the content because of the disctracting audio. It's as if it was done to call attention to itself. VERY bad. As one of the kids said, "Hideous!"
10.9.07 5:54 PM PDT
cynthia mom
I was joyed to see the show, not usually up that late, (VCR is broke) and need to send my kid with PDD and Asperger's to participate in the development of the software. I hope that the children of the world will benefit soon, so as not to be dumbed down like i was just because I was paralyzingly "shy". This was greatly appreciated segment. Is there a website or other that will give follow up on the device. Id really like to keep up on it and its pending availability. love the show.
10.15.07 11:33 AM PDT
Morrie
To further comment on glp's thoughts..... I have done alot of thinking and writing on ASD people and completely agree with her speculation on the relation between ASD and evolution. I truley believe that 50 years from now, people will look back on this time and realize that Austism Spectrum in not a dis-order at all, but a sign of extraordinary abilities in specific areas. I believe that even movies like Edward Scissorhands and TV shows like Heros are based eiother knowingly or accidentally on ASD-like characters.
12.7.09 12:58 PM PST
Soundtrain
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